Chemical fire-extinguisher



PATENTED FEB. 16, 1904.

A. J. KNIGHT. CHEMICAL FIRE EXTINGUISHER.

APPLIUATION FILED 0013.12. 1903.

NO MODEL.

UNITED STATES Patented February 16, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

ALFRED J. KNIGHT, OF MELROSE, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR ,OF ONE- HALF TOJESSE B. THOMAS, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

CHEMICAL FIRE-EXTINGUISHER.

SPECIFICATION forming ar. of Letters Patent No. 752,399, dated February16, 1904..

Application filed October 12, 1903.

T0 aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ALFREDJ. KNIGHT, acitiZen of the United States, anda resident of Melrose, county of Middlesex, State of Massachusetts, haveinvented an Improvement in Chemical Fire-Extinguishers, of which thefollowing description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, isa specification, like letters on the drawings-representing like parts. i

This invention relates to chemical fire-extinguishers, comprising mainand auxiliary receivers, the latter within the former andcontainingsulfuric acid or equivalent substance, which when discharged into thewater and carbonate of soda or other contents of the main receiver mixestherewith and generates carbonic-acid gas. A portable fireextinguisherof this type is shownv and described in United States Patent No.537,421, granted to me, and another April 9, 1895.

' It is the usual practice to fill the main receiver or canister, as itis often termed,

' with water and carbonate of soda until the level thereof is as high aspossible with relation to the discharge-opening of the auxiliaryreceiver or acid-receptacle in order to utilize the greatest capacityand power of the apparatus. I WVhensuch an extinguisher is standingceiver.

upright and at rest on the floor of a room or on a shelf, there is nodanger of any accidental mixing of the normally separated acid andalkaline contents, but when the extinguisher is carried about on amoving supportsuch as a wagon, car, boat, or other moving vehicle themotion thereof agitates the contents of the main receiver and theresultant splashing or slopping tends to throw more or less ofthealkaline liquid upon the discharge-opening of the acid-receptacle.Should any commingling of acid and alkali occur, {and it is practicallyimpossible to prevent it under such circumstances,) gas will begenerated in the main re- ;VVhile this gas may pass off through theoutlet without material damage, it will be obvious that both the acidand alkaline contents of the extinguisher have been weakened by thechemical combination, and this slight weakening of the charges maycontinue from Serial a. 176,602. (No model.)

time to time until when the extinguisher is putinto actual use its powermay have been substantially dissipated. There is no way to discover thisloss of power unless the extinguisher is opened and examined, and after,it has been charged it should not be opened until after its contentshave been discharged by use. If the outlet has a shut-off cook, theimproper generation of pressure referred to tends to drive some of thealkali into the valve, so that the latter will stick and refuse'to openwhen it is desired to use the extinguisher. Various fire-departmentapparatus sueh as engines, protective and hose wagons, laddertrucks,&c.are now commonly equipped with portable extinguishers, and thepractice is increasing to provide them for carsand boats. In suchequipment in addition to the generation of gas referred to the splashingorslopping of the contents of the canister or main receiver tends tothrow small quantities of the liquid-into the outlet, whence the liquidtrickles out through the hose and spoils any painted surface with whichit contacts.

My present invention has more especial reference to fire-extinguishersof the portable type referred to;- and it has for its main object theproduction of means for preventing any objectionable results fromvagitation or splashing of the contents of the extinguisher duringtransportation from place to place.

This and other novel features of my invention will be fully described inthe subjoined specification and particularly pointed out in thefollowing claims.

- Figure 1 is a vertical section, centrally broken out, of afire-extinguisher embodying one form of my invention, the auxiliaryreceiver and its closure being shown in elevavation. Fig. 2 is a similarview but showing the extinguisher inverted, as it would be when in use.Fig. 3 is a sectional view similar to Fig. 1, showing a modification ofthe means for supporting the auxiliary receiver within the mainreceiver; and Fig. 4 is an under side view of the diaphragm, to bedescribed.

In the present embodiment of my invention the main receiver or canisterA, of suitable shape and construction, is provided with a base A Fig. 1,upon which it rests when not in use in normal upright position, saidreceiver at its end opposite the base having a fillingopening surroundedby an upturned flange a,

exteriorly threaded to receive a screw-threaded cap C. The cap isprovided with an outpending sleeve a forming an annular seat a thediaphragm being higher than the proper level of the liquid contents ofthe canister A when in normal upright-position. Surrounding the seat aare a number of large holes or perforations a", through which the liquidin the receiver A feeds when the extinguisher is in use, the .smallperforations a serving as drainage-outlets, as will be described.

The auxiliary receiver or acid-receptacle D in Figs. 1 and 2 is shown asa bottle, prefer- -ably made of glass and enlarged to, form an annularlaterally-projecting shoulder d thev body of the bottle being ofsuchexternal diameter as will easily pass through the seat a anddepending sleeve a. The shoulder a? rests upon the seat, and theauxiliary receiver D is thereby supported by the diaphragm in uprightposition, the neck dof the said receiver projecting upward beneath theinlet end 0' of the canister-outlet 0.. When the exsuch time. Thedepending sleeve a easily re tinguisher is not in use, the shoulder dprojects over and covers-the feed-apertures a,

the dotted circle in Fig. 4 indicating the outer edge "of the shoulderof the receptacle D at ceives the body of said receptacle andpreventsany lateral or tipping movement thereof during transportation of theextinguisher, and the apertures a are also maintained covered or closed.Atubular holder h, shown as pro-- vided with perforations 71. and aninternal shoulder it, depends from the cap C,lsecured thereto by beingscrewed onto an externallythreaded boss 0". I have shown theperforations arranged in two rows, the upper one close to the bossand'the lower row somewhat below the shoulder it for a purpose to bedescribed. The lower end of the holder surrounds the neck of theauxiliary receiver D and extends far enough downward when the v the capC is in place to prevent the said receiver from jumping up away from thediaphragm a so that movement of the extinguisherfrom place to placecannot dislodge the receiver D, and, as shown in Fig. 2, the

receiver is properly supported bythe holder when the extinguisher isinverted for use.

The discharge-opening for the auxiliary receiver, at the end of the neckthereof, is closed by a stopper or closure 0, having oppositelyextendedprojections c 0 the latter extending into the neck of the receiver, andan annular chamber 6 is formed in the lower side of the closure,inclosed by a depending lip 6 adapted to fit around the neck, theclosure forming a tight joint with the vneck when closed. The

' closure is substantially such as shown in United States Patent No.598,826 and operates as therein set forth. As shown in Fig. 1, theprojection. e of'the closure extends upward part way through a stop,shown as a plate h seated on the seat h of the holder and havingacentral opening [2, into which the projection extends. Preferably thestop is concaved on its lower side to conform to the shape of theclosure when the extinguisheris in use.- The body of the closure slidesfreely within the holder-it and is guided thereby in its opening andclosing movements.

, From an inspection of Fig. 1 willbe seen .that the inlet-opening cofthe outlet-of the main receiver is guarded or protectedina twofoldmanner from entrance of the liquid contents of receiver A'viz., by thediaphragm a and the tubular holder it. If the contents ofthe receiver Aare agitated. and thrown about by transportation of the apparatus, thediaphragm first acts to prevent splashing or slopping in any materialquantity beyond it, for only very small portionsof the liquid, if any,can be thrown'up through thev perforations at. As to such small portionsof liquid which may passup through the diaphragm they are preventedfrom. entering the inlet by the tubular holder 7L and are broken intodrops by contact therewith, and should any drops of the liquid enter theperforations it? their upward impulse is dissipated, and they tricklebackto the main body below. the diaphragm. In the same manner thediaphragm andholder guard the discharge-opening of theauxiliaryreceiver, even should the closure-e jump up or vibrate by reason of themovements of the extinguisher, and consequently the acid and alkalinecontents of the two receivers-cannot mix and combine. 1

When the extinguisher is inverted for use, as shown in Fig. 2, thegravity-closure e drops away fromthe neck d of the auxiliary receiverand its opening movement is limited by the stop it, while the receiver Dis permitted to drop a less distance against. the end of the holder toremove the shoulder (Z from the diaphragm and to fully open theapertures a for the passage of liquid therethrough to feed to theoutlet. The relative positions of the mouth of the neck cl and thechambered side of the closure 6 are then such that the flow of the acidisgradual, charging the solution in the main receiver A evenlythroughout substantially the entire operation, as described in PatentNo. 598,826.

It will be observed that when the extinguisher is inverted, as in Fig.2, the solution -in receiver A can pass with all desired speed and inrequisite quantity through the apertu'res (4 and central opening a ofthe diaphragm and into the holder 72. through the perforations hthereof. Thence the gas generated and the water pass through the inlet0' into and through the outlet 0 to the hose c and are directedtherefrom to the desired points.

The means described for preventing objectionable results due tosplashing or slopping of the solution in the receiverA is so eflicientthat the jarring and shaking incident to rapid travel of steam orelectric cars or movement of fire apparatus through the streets has noinjurious effect upon the extinguisher described herein. r i

In Fig. 3 I have shown a modified supporting device for theacid-receptacle B, which is shown as a bottle of ordinary constructionhaving a neck I) closed by the closure e.- The receiver A, cap 0, holderh, and stop h 'are substantially as hereinbefore described, and 25' themain receiver is provided with a perforated diaphragm a having a centralopeninga, substantially as described; but the diaphragm is slightlyarched. A number of large feed-apertures a? surround the opening at, andsmaller drainage-apertures e are made in the diaphragm, as beforedescribed in reference to Figs. 1, 2, and 3. A metallic tubular car-'rier f, having a perforated bottom f, is pro-- vided. with an externalannular flange f which rests upon the diaphragm and normally- The mainportion of the carrier depends below the latter, while the upper end fof the carrier is shown as extend closes the apertures a ed above andsurrounding thelower end of the holder h, and the bottle is inserted inthe carrier, the latter in turn being removable from the diaphragm. Ifany of the solution finds its way over the top of the carrier, it drainsdown through the perforated bottom f, and

when the extinguisher is inverted the drop of the bottle is limited bythe holder it, while the bottom of the bottle prevents displacement ofthe carrier.

In either of the constructions shown the small apertures of thediaphragm serve to permit the liquid to drain back to the main body ifthe charge in the extinguisher is not completely discharged, as issometimes the case.

My invention is not restricted to the precise construction andarrangement shown and described, as the same maybe modified orrearranged by those skilled in the art without departing from the spiritand scope of my invention.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire-tosecure by Letters Patent, is p l. A portablefire-extinguisher-comprising a main receiver having an'outlet, afilling-opening at one end, and a perforated diaphragm belowit,anauxiliary receiver removably supported by said diaphragm, a captoclose the filling-opening, provided with a depending tubular andperforated holder to retain the auxiliary receiver in place, agravity-closure for the latter, movable within and guided by saidholder, and a stop to limit the opening movement of the closure.

2. A portable fire-extinguisher comprising a main receiver having anoutlet, a filling-opening at one end, and a perforated diaphragm belowit, provided with a central opening, an auxiliary receiver removablysupported within the opening, a gravity-closure for such receiver, a capto close the filling-opening, and

means to guide the movements of the closure and also to preventdisplacement of the auxiliary receiver when the extmgu1sher1s 1n use.

3. A portable fire-extinguisher comprising a main receiver having afilling-opening at one end and a perforated, centrallyopen diaphragmbelow it, an auxiliary receiver extended through the opening of andremovably supported by the diaphragm, a gravityclosure for the auxiliaryreceiver, a cap to close the filling-opening, having an outlet andprovided with a depending perforated holder to engage the auxiliaryreceiver and prevent its displacement when the extinguisher is in use,said holder also guiding the closure in its opening and closingmovements, and an annular stop within the holder to limit opening on thelatter to limit opening movement of the closure;

5. A fireextinguisher comprising a normally upright main receiver havinga fillingopening and an outlet, a cap to close said opening, anauxiliary receiver supported within the main receiver, a gravity-closurefor the auxiliary receiver, separate means to protect the dischargeopeningof the latter fronr splashing of the contents of the mainreceiver when not in use, said means also constituting a support for theauxiliaryreceiver, and a device to limit movement of the same relativelyto said means when-the extinguisher is in use.

6. A fire-extinguisher comprising a main receiver, a normally uprightacid-receptacle contained therein, a closure for the dischargeopening ofsaid receptacle, separate means to prevent the contents of the mainreceiver from splashing or being thrown upon the dischargeopening of theacid-receptacle when the extinguisher is not in use, said means alsoconstituting a support for and relatively to which the acid-receptacleis movable, and a device to limit such movement and prevent displacementof said receptacle when the extinguisher is in use.

7 A fireextinguisher comprising a canister having a filling-opening atoneend, and an outlet for the contents of the extinguisher when in use,a perforated diaphragm below the filling-opening, having a centralannular seat, an acid-receptacle supported on the seat and having anormally upturned discharge-opening, a gravity-closure therefor, a capto close the filling-opening, a tubular perforated holder depending fromthe cap, to cooperate with and limit movement of the acid-receptacle,and also to guide the closure therefor, andan annular stop within theholder to limit opening movement of the said closure.

8. A fire-extinguisher comprising a normally upright canister having anoutlet, and a filling-opening at its upper end, a closingcap for theopening, an annular seat in and secured to the canister below thefilling-opening, an acid receptacle adapted .to project through the seatand-having an overhanging shoulder to rest thereupon, a dependingtubular holder sustained by the cap and adapted to engage the acidreceptacle and limit its movement when the extinguisher is inverted foruse, and a gravity-closure for the discharge-opening of theacid-receptacle.

9. A fire-extinguisher comprising a normally upright canister having anoutlet, and a filling-opening at its upper end, a transverse, perforateddiaphragm secured within the canister below said opening and having acentral annular seat, and adjacent feed-apertures, an acid-receptacleextending partly through said seat and having an annular shoulder torest thereupon, and normally close the feed-apertures, a gravity-closurefor said receptacle, a,

cap to close the filling-opening, and a holder depending therefrom toengage and limit movement of the acid-receptacle when the extinguisheris in use and also to guide the gravity-closure in its movements.

10. A portable fire-extinguisher comprising a main receiver having anoutlet, a fillingopening at one end, a diaphragm below it provided witha central opening and feed-apertures, an auxiliary receiver removablysupported within the opening, a gravity-closure for such receiver, a capto. close the fillingopening, means to normally close the feedapertures,and means to retain the auxiliary receiver in position on the diaphragmand also to guide the movements of the closure.

11. A fire-extinguisher comprising a canister having a filling-openingat one end, a cap to close the same, provided with an outlet for thecontents of'the extinguisher, a perforated diaphragm below thefilling-opening, having a central annular seat and adjacentfeed-apertures,.an acid-receptacle supported on the seat and having anormally upturned dischargeopening, a gravity-closure therefor, atubular perforated holder depending from the cap, to limit movement ofthe acid-receptacle when the canister is inverted and also to guide theclosure therefor, means to normally close the feed-apertures in thediaphragm, and a stop within the holder to limit opening movement of theclosure. Y

, 12. Afire-ex'tinguisher comprising a canister having afilling-openingat one end, a cap to close the same, provided with an out-let for thecontents of the extinguisher, a perforated diaphragm below thefilling-opening, having a central annular seat and adjacentfeed-apertures, an acid-receptacle adapted to project through the'seatand having an overhanging shoulder to rest thereon and close the feedapertures, a depending tubular holder sustained by'the cap-and adaptedto limit move ment of the'shoulderfr'om the diaphragm, and agravity-closure for the discharge-opening of the acid-receptacle, guidedin its movement by the holder.

13. A fire-extinguisher comprising a canister having an outlet, and afilling-opening, an annular seat fixedly mounted within the canisterbelow its upper end, an acid-receptacle adapted to-extend-part waythrough the seat and having an overhanging portion to rest thereupon, agravity-closure for the-dischargeopening of the acid-receptacle, andmeans to guide the opening and closing movement of said closure, andalso prevent displacement of the acid-receptacle when the extinguisheris inverted for use.

14. In a fire-extinguisher, a normally upright canister having anoutlet, an annular seat fixedly mounted within the main body portion ofthe canister below its upper end, a removable acid-receptacle having anoverhanging portion to rest upon the seat, the body portion of saidreceptacle entering and depending below the seat, andmeans-to engage theenlarged and overhanging portion of and prevent displacement of theacid-receptacle when the extinguisher is inverted for use.

, 15. In a'fire-extinguisher, a normally upright canister having anoutlet, a cap to close the upper end of the canister, a centrally-opendiaphragm secured within the main body portion of the canister below itsupper end and having a series of feed-apertures arranged adjacent to itscentral opening, a removable acidreceptacle to extend part way throughthe central opening'and having an annular overhanging shoulder to restupon the diaphragm and close the feed-apertures, a gravity-clo- Ice sureforthe discharge-opening of the acid-re In testimony whereofIhave signedmy name ceptacle, and means connected with the cap to this specificationin the presence of two suband depending therefrom to limit movementscribing witnesses.

of the acid-receptacle relative to the dia- ALFRED J. KNIGHT. 5 phragmwhen the extinguisher is inverted, Witnesses: 1

such movement of the acid-receptacle causing GEO. W. GREGORY,

the shoulder to uncover the feed-apertures. EDITH M. STODDARD.

